


Floral and Fading

by peachyduckie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Blink and you'll miss it, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is a Little Shit, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Mark's friends don't like Hyuck lmao, Markhyuck are Jackie and Kelso, Mentioned Kim Yerim, Recreational Drug Use, Rich Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Taeil and Doyoung are mentioned, guess who's who lol, once again i have never smoked weed so i don't know how it works, set in the summer, the fact that that's a real tag sends, this is loosely based off of the first episode of That 70's Show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:15:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24583654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachyduckie/pseuds/peachyduckie
Summary: “We were saying that we’re gonna need some serious gas money if my dad lends me the car next weekend,” Taeyong explained. Mark hummed in acknowledgement.“You know Hyuck is good for gas money,” he suggested.Immediately all of his friends’ expressions changed at the mention of his boyfriend. Mark knew that they weren’t crazy about Donghyuck, but he wasn't that bad and he definitely had the money to help them with gas. Taeyong exchanged a look with Yuta, who was already staring at Mark like he wanted to kill him.(Mark's friends don't really like Donghyuck, but it's only because they don't know the real him, or at least that's what Mark keeps saying.)
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 17
Kudos: 197





	Floral and Fading

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the pilot episode of That 70's Show and Jackie and Kelso's relationship. I really loved their original dynamics, even though they're lowkey toxic, so this fic is totally self indulgent! But enjoy anyways! 
> 
> dedicated to winners periodt because they hyped me up enough to post this.

Clouds of smoke surrounded Mark as he let his mind settle into a comfortable daze. He was barely listening as Taeyong rambled about something that had happened between him and his dad earlier in the week. Mark just hoped the elder’s father would let him borrow the car so all of their friends could go to the music festival that was happening the following weekend.

“Mark, dude are you even listening?” Johnny asked in English, the new language catching Mark’s attention.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m listening.” Mark sat up straighter and tried his best to blink away his high.

Mark surveyed the basement where they were sitting and watched his friends pass around the next blunt for them to smoke. Mark declined the offer, he needed to be able to walk after this. Jaehyun took a long hit and purposely blew the smoke into Johnny’s face, causing the older to hit him. Yuta laughed in amusement and took the blunt from Jaehyun.

“We were saying that we’re gonna need some serious gas money if my dad lends me the car next weekend,” Taeyong explained. Mark hummed in acknowledgement.

“You know Hyuck is good for gas money,” he suggested.

Immediately all of his friends’ expressions changed at the mention of his boyfriend. Mark knew that they weren’t crazy about Donghyuck, but he wasn't that bad and he definitely had the money to help them with gas. Taeyong exchanged a look with Yuta, who was already staring at Mark like he wanted to kill him.

“He really has you whipped, huh?” Jaehyun teased.

“I am _not_ whipped,” Mark argued with a frown.

“Dude, no offense, but Donghyuck is a brat. There’s no way you would put up with half the shit he does if you weren’t at least a little bit whipped for him,” Johnny told him.

“What are you even talking about?” Mark exclaimed.

“Minhyung, you have to call me at 8,” Johnny said, mocking Donghyuck’s high-pitched voice.

“Minhyung, take me to the mall and buy me stuff even though my family’s filthy rich,” Jaehyun added, also imitating Mark’s boyfriend.

“Minhyung, massage my feet and suck my toes,” Yuta chimed in. Mark smacked his chest for that one.

“You are such a pig,” he muttered to Yuta before turning to the group. “And if you guys don’t want help paying for gas, then don’t ask me again.”

“We’re not saying it wouldn’t help, we’re just pointing out that your boyfriend is brat and you’re whipped for him,” Taeyong told him, leaning back in his seat.

“He’s not as bad as you think, you guys just don’t know him. He’s sweet,” Mark explained, looking at his feet.

“Dude, he told me that he would still be better looking than me even if he had been living in a swamp for 10 months,” Johnny said.

“Don’t forget about when he explained for 30 minutes about how he was a genius because he believes Produce 101 is a scam, solely because Jaehyun mentioned one of the trainees in passing. _30 minutes Mark_ ,” Yuta reminded him.

“What about all of the times he’s made you leave early because he was tired of you hanging out with your ‘pothead friends that look like they only shower once a week in a brothel’?” Taeyong chimed in.

“Okay! I get it!” Mark flung his arms up in the air.

He knew his friends wouldn’t believe him, Donghyuck really could be annoying to them sometimes. Okay maybe a lot of the time. But Mark meant what he said, Donghyuck was much more than the bratty front that he put on in front of others.

The other boys continued to pass around the blunt, discussing other possible ways for them to get money for gas, as well as how to convince Taeyong’s father to let them have the car in the first place. Mark plucked the blunt out of Yuta’s fingers and raised it to his lips. If he was gonna get teased then he needed to be a lot less sober. He passed it back to the older a few moments later.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and pulled it out to check the notification. He couldn’t help but smile as he read over the message he had received. _Speak of the devil and he shall appear._

 **Hyuck:** _hyung, where are you?_

 **Minhyung:** _with the guys, at taeyong hyung’s house. why?_

 **Hyuck:** _…._

 **Hyuck:** _are_ _you high?_

 **Minhyung:** _yes…._

 **Hyuck:** _okay. don’t forget to call me later._

 **Minhyung:** _as if i could ever forget about you sunshine._

 **Hyuck:** _bye minhyung._

Mark sighed a little bit and set his phone off to the side. Johnny raised an eyebrow at him in curiosity. Mark waved him off, but Johnny didn’t budge. He knew the older wouldn’t leave him alone until he explained.

“Nothing, it’s just that Hyuck doesn’t like that I smoke so much at once,” Mark explained to him.

“What’d I tell you? Whipped,” Jaehyun said. Taeyong imitated the sound of a whip off to the side.

“Shut up,” Mark groaned.

“Isn’t he a year younger than you? Is he even allowed to boss you around like that?” Yuta asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He’s not bossing me around. I just don’t want him to be upset with me,” Mark told him. He knew his excuse sounded pathetic, but it was all he could really say.

“Whatever dude.” Yuta leaned back in his seat and took another hit.

Mark rolled his eyes and brought up the topic of Doyoung, the guy Jaehyun had been crushing on for the past few months, hoping to divert the attention off of his own relationship. Jaehyun quickly took the bait and they all started talking about how Jaehyun’s efforts to get to know Doyoung, despite the boy’s resistance.

Honestly, Mark wasn't listening that well. He was thinking about whether or not Donghyuck would be cross with him when he called him at 8pm.

*****************

“Minhyung it’s 8:15,” Donghyuck’s voice snipped from the other end of the line. Mark grimaced slightly.

“I’m sorry baby. I got caught up at Taeyong’s house,” Mark explained as he slipped into his house, hoping his parents wouldn’t hear him coming inside when he’d missed dinner.

“And I told you to call me at 8,” Donghyuck replied.

Mark sighed and walked up the steps towards his bedroom, past his own parents’ room where he could still hear the television playing one of those cheesy sitcoms they liked so much. He slipped into his own room and shut the door behind him, sitting on the bed.

“I’m sorry Duckie. How was your day?” Mark continued the conversation.

“It was okay. I went out with Jaemin and we got bubble tea at that new place downtown. Then we ran into Yeri, which was actually funny because I had just been thinking about calling her to see if there were any parties coming up because her friends always have stuff going on,” Donghyuck rambled easily. He usually liked talking about himself.

“That sounds fun, baby. I’m glad you had a good day,” Mark replied.

“Yeah. What were you doing at Taeyong’s house? Besides smoking?” Donghyuck asked him. Mark felt guilt creep up into his throat and hold back his words.

He hadn’t told Donghyuck about the festival, mostly because he knew Donghyuck and the other guys weren’t crazy about each other. But he felt bad because he knew once Donghyuck figured it out he’d be mad Mark didn’t invite him, whether he accepted the invitation or not.

“Nothing...just talking about random stuff. You know how it is.” Mark chuckled awkwardly. He really hated lying to Donghyuck.

“Okay...sounds like fun I guess. Can I come with you to his house tomorrow? I miss you when you’re gone all day, baby,” Donghyuck whined.

Mark felt his heart flutter hearing those words. He thought back to his friends’ expression from earlier that day when he brought up Donghyuck to them and he almost said no, but then Donghyuck huffed a little and suddenly he was seeing through rose colored lenses again.

“Sure Hyuck. I’ll pick you up around like 1, okay?” He told him.

“Okay,” the younger answered. “Did I tell you about what Yeri said to me about the party scene right now though?”

“Nope. Please elaborate,” Mark answered, chuckling lightly.

He listened as Donghyuck rambled about all the different things that he and Yeri talked about, as well as a bunch of other random, useless stuff. Mark just took in the sweet sound of his boyfriend’s voice, humming appreciatively every now and then to assure the younger he was listening.

When he checked the time again, he was surprised to see it was nearing 11pm and he really needed to go to sleep after smoking so much. Mark sighed and sat up on his bed, trying to wake up a bit so he could get off the phone and get ready for bed. Donghyuck was still busy ranting about his day on the other end of the line.

“And then I told Jaemin that he should just tell Jeno to come over if he wants to spend time with him. But you know how Jaem can be, he gets all shy when he has to ask for stuff. It’s so silly, like when I want something from you I never beat around the bush–”

“That’s nice sunshine. I gotta go to bed, though,” Mark cut in, grimacing at having to end the conversation like this.

“Minhyung!” Donghyuck whined over the phone. Mark could envision the other’s pout behind his eyelids.

“I’m sorry angel. I’ll see you tomorrow though, right?” He asked hopefully.

“Right. And don’t be late, I don’t want to be waiting,” Donghyuck replied.

“I’ll be there,” Mark promised. “Good night Duckie. Love you.”

“Love you too. Good night,” the boy answered shyly.

Mark ended the call there and set his phone off to the side. He couldn’t wipe the dopey smile off of his face as he got up and changed into more comfortable clothes to sleep in. He hoped that his parents wouldn’t notice that he smelled like a dispensary in the morning before he was able to take a shower.

As he let his eyes fall shut, he thought about how Donghyuck would hold him if they were together. He thought about the younger’s warm skin pressed against his own. He fell asleep, thinking only of the boy he loved. Maybe his friends were right, he _was_ whipped.

*****************

When Mark and Donghyuck arrived at Taeyong’s house the next afternoon, the older boy raised an eyebrow at the two of them before letting them both inside. Mark gave him the best smile he could muster and they all headed towards the basement where the others were all waiting. He could feel Taeyong’s eyes burning holes into his back the whole way there.

“Oh, the demon is here,” Yuta muttered as they entered the room. Mark silently hoped that Donghyuck didn’t hear it.

The boys all sat around and started watching the latest episode of some random variety show while they made simple conversation. While they sat on the couch, Donghyuck cuddled into Mark’s side, so Mark wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. He looked over at Johnny, who was already looking at the two of them. He frowned when the older boy mouthed _whipped_ in his direction.

“Can’t we watch something else? This is so corny and the hosts are so annoying,” Donghyuck complained. Mark heard Jaehyun sigh somewhere off to the side.

“Here, you can change the channel, Donghyuck,” Taeyong offered, handing the youngest boy the remote.

“So, any updates on the car, Yong?” Johnny asked. Mark tensed up slightly, already knowing that his secret would come out quickly.

“Yup, we’re all set for next weekend, just need some gas money,” Taeyong answered.

“I can ask my parents for some extra cash, but it probably won’t be much even if they say yes,” Jaehyun chimed in, not turning his head away from the TV.

“What’s happening next weekend?” Donghyuck asked suddenly, looking to Mark for an answer.

_Fuck._

“Uh...there’s a music festival that we were all planning on going to. It’s like a hip-hop type thing,” Mark explained awkwardly.

“And you weren’t gonna tell me about it?” Donghyuck raised an eyebrow.

“Here we go…” Johnny mumbled.

Mark leaned into the cushions of the couch, wishing they would swallow him whole. This was why he hated lying to Donghyuck, because the younger would always become furious with him so quickly. Mark slowly turned to make eye contact with his boyfriend, only to be met with that same angry face.

“Well, it’s not that I wasn't going to tell you, I just uh...you know...forgot?” Mark offered sheepishly.

Yuta let out a laugh and got up, walking upstairs, presumably heading towards the kitchen. The other boys decided to take his lead and headed out of the room to give the couple privacy. Mark felt Taeyong pat his shoulder supportively before leaving.

“You forgot?” Donghyuck scoffed.

“Listen, Duckie, it’s not what you think,” Mark assured him.

“Isn’t it though? You don’t want me to come, do you?” Donghyuck challenged, getting up out of his seat and pointing an accusing finger. Mark sighed.

“I mean, I didn’t think you would want to come. You don’t even really like my friends!” Mark pointed out.

“Did you tell them that?” Donghyuck’s eyes turned the size of saucers.

“What? No! No, I didn’t say that to them,” Mark assured him.

“I never said I didn’t like them. They’re just all annoying and sometimes dirty. Plus they don’t let me spend time with you when I want to. And, they smoke weed like everyday! I get it’s fun and all, but like Jesus,” Donghyuck sighed.

“So what I’m hearing is you don’t like my friends,” Mark said flatly.

“Who cares about that? What if I just want to spend time with you?” Donghyuck countered, sitting back on the couch beside Mark.

“What if I wanted to do something with you that night?”

“Like what, Hyuck?” Mark’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“You know what…” Donghyuck looked down shyly before meeting Mark’s gaze once again.

Mark could be stupid sometimes, but he wasn't dumb. Embarrassingly, Mark felt his blood rush to his cheeks, among other places. Donghyuck leaned in closer and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. He slowly leaned in and kissed Mark’s lips gently. The younger boy cupped Mark’s face with his free hand and deepened their kiss. Mark opened up easily for the boy he loved. His heart skipped a beat every time their lips reconnected and he wanted nothing more than to get his hands on Donghyuck. He pulled the boy closer by his waist until he was practically sitting on Mark’s lap.

“Can I come with you? Please?” Donghyuck asked sweetly when they finally pulled apart for air. His voice was a little breathless and airy, making Mark’s mind race even more.

“Yeah...yeah you can come baby.” Mark nodded like he was in a daze. He just wanted to taste Donghyuck on his tongue again.

Mark leaned in for another kiss and the younger kissed him back without hesitation. Donghyuck grinded down onto him, making Mark groan quietly. He gripped the younger boy’s waist even tighter as they kissed.

“So I guess you’re coming to the festival then, Donghyuck?” Yuta asked from the top of the steps as he walked back into the room.

Donghyuck and Mark jumped apart from each other, embarrassed at being caught. Mark’s cheeks turned a deep red, although now for a totally different reason. Soon all of the older boys came back into the room, occupying their seats once again.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Donghyuck replied, smiling a little. Yuta sent a tight, forced smile back to him.

“I didn’t know you were into hip-hop and R&B like that, Hyuck,” Johnny said, taking a sip from a drink he’d gotten while he was gone.

“I mean it’s all Mark ever listens to,” Donghyuck replied, smiling at Mark for emphasis.

“Didn’t you say you only liked DPR Live because you thought Christian Yu was hot?” Taeyong asked.

“Didn’t you say you only went to parties where there was more weed than alcohol because you can’t stand up after 2 drinks?” Donghyuck snapped.

“Fuck…” Jaehyun mumbled, snorting a little.

“Shut up, Jae,” Taeyong muttered, slapping the other’s chest.

The boys sat around and watched whatever was on TV for a while longer, mostly talking to each other instead of paying attention to what was on the screen. Mark could tell his friends would only be able to put up with Donghyuck’s attitude for so much longer, but it was so nice to cuddle next to his boyfriend like this.

Beside him, Donghyuck appeared to be getting restless, no longer entertained by the show or by the conversation that the other boys were having. Mark pulled him in a little closer, rubbing his shoulder soothingly.

“Minhyung, take me home,” Donghyuck said suddenly, pouting.

“What? We’ve barely been here for more than an hour?” Mark pointed out.

“Okay and I want to go home,” Donghyuck replied.

The other boys all shifted awkwardly in their seats and did a terrible impression of minding their business. Mark silently prayed that his boyfriend would listen to him for once.

“Come on Hyuck, can’t we just hang out for a little while longer? The show is almost over,” he pointed out.

“Do I look like I give a flying fuck about this show?” The younger boy raised an eyebrow at him, leaning away from Mark’s hold.

“Donghyuck…” Mark sighed.

“Maybe I’m not making it clear enough for you.” Donghyuck’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“Take. Me. Home. Now!” With each word, Donghyuck’s voice got louder and angrier. At this point, he was glowering.

“Yeah, sure baby.” Mark got up and grabbed his things.

As he was getting his things together, Mark looked over at Jaehyun, who made the gesture of a whip at him with a smirk on his face. Mark flipped him off and pulled on his jacket. He and Donghyuck left the house shortly afterwards.

As they drove in the direction of Donghyuck’s house, Mark rested a hand on his thigh, rubbing gently. Donghyuck’s hand rested over his and he traced small patterns on the back of Mark’s hand while he drove. Mark smiled knowingly.

“So when you pick me up for this concert or whatever, make sure you bring enough money for snacks. I am not going to sit through a whole music festival hungry,” Donghyuck told him.

“I thought you said you wanted to do ‘other things’?” Mark asked him, raising an eyebrow. He snuck a glance over at his boyfriend, feeling satisfied that Donghyuck’s cheeks were flushed.

“Well that doesn’t mean we can’t still do other stuff, Minhyung.” Donghyuck played mindlessly with Mark’s fingers to distract himself.

*****************

The music festival turned out to be a lot of fun, even though Mark could tell his friends were mildly annoyed by Donghyuck’s presence. The younger boy hung all over Mark the whole night, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be bothered. They had even slow danced while a popular R&B artist performed and Donghyuck didn’t push Mark’s hand away when he reached down to grab his butt.

Donghyuck just seemed _happy_ to be with him. The glint in his eyes as a love song flooded the ears of the audience had sent Mark’s mind reeling. He had almost wanted to look away, but at the same time he never wanted to take his eyes off of the beautiful boy before him. There was love in his gaze, but even more than that, comfort. Trust.

Mark felt pretty satisfied with himself after that and he spent the whole rest of the weekend thinking about it. He was still thinking about it the next day when he went to Taeyong’s house.

“What’s got you so happy?” Johnny asked, smirking.

“Nothing...I just think things between me and Hyuck are going well, you know?” Mark smiled a little bit.

“Dude, seriously? Is this because of the butt grab thing? And don’t act like it didn’t happen because we all saw it,” Taeyong told him. Mark felt his ears burning in embarrassment.

“That’s not what it was about. I mean that’s like...part of it. But I feel like he just wants to be around me more and trusts me more. It’s nice,” Mark explained.

“It was one butt grab. I just don’t really see this being a turning point in your relationship,” Jaehyun teased.

“Yeah, when are you just gonna fuck him already?” Yuta grumbled.

“Hyung!” Mark exclaimed, embarrassed. He resisted the urge to hide his face in his hands.

“I know you’re like in love with him or whatever, but dude, he’s on another level. I don’t know how you deal with him,” Jaehyun said, taking a sip from the drink he had.

“I keep telling you guys, you just don’t know him. He’s not how he seems,” Mark told them. The others didn’t seem to believe him at all, but they let the topic drop.

Mark got comfortable in his seat on the couch as they turned on a rerun of an action movie, letting the room fall silent as they watched the TV. Johnny was starting to nod off beside him, while Jaehyun and Yuta were messing around with each other while they watched. Taeyong was totally invested in the movie at this point.

Mark’s phone vibrated in the pocket of his jeans and he quickly pulled it out. The screen showed multiple notifications from Donghyuck, most of them messages filled with an obnoxious amount of hearts and cute emojis. The most recent ones were asking for him to come over on Thursday rather than hanging out with the guys.

 **Hyuck:** _hyung can you come over or not? :(_

 **Hyuck:** _minhyung why aren’t you answering me???_

 **Hyuck:** _i swear to god if you don’t answer me in the next 10 minutes i will burn every frank ocean album you own >:(_

 **Minhyung:** _hi angel. i can come over on thursday._

 **Hyuck:** _i will literally kill you._

 **Minhyung:** _love you too baby._

 **Hyuck:** _minhyung!!!_

Mark smiled down at his phone, giggling softly at the message. Suddenly a piece of popcorn came flying out of nowhere to hit him square on the forehead. Mark looked up to see that Yuta had thrown it, a smirk on his face from landing his target.

“Stop simping over your boyfriend and pay attention to the movie,” Yuta told him.

“Oh my god,” Mark groaned, tucking his phone away.

“What did he say?” Jaehyun asked.

“He was just asking me to come over on Thursday,” Mark answered thoughtlessly.

“Dude, we were gonna go to that party on Thursday,” Johnny whined, frowning deeply. All the others turned to look at the youngest boy.

“What? What party? On a Thursday?” Mark asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He scanned the room and it seemed like he was the only one confused.

“Now I _know_ you weren’t listening on the ride back from the festival,” Johnny told him. “We were planning on going to that party up at SMU, you know, where Taeil goes?”

“Oh...I must have forgotten...can’t you guys just go without me?” Mark asked.

“ _Mark Lee_ ,” Taeyong groaned, spread eagling in his chair dramatically.

“It’s not a big deal guys! We have the whole summer to go to parties,” Mark argued.

“Whatever dude. Go hang out with your demon,” Jaehyun told him, waving him off.

Mark rolled his eyes and focused back on the movie, trying to remember what had happened so far. He had long since given up on trying to convince his friends that Donghyuck was nicer than he seemed. Instead of worrying about what others had to say about his relationship, he watched as the protagonist on the screen blew up a building and walked away like a badass. His friends didn’t have to understand. There were many layers to the boy he loved, but they were for his eyes only.

*****************

A shrill ringing sound woke Mark up out of his sleep. He groaned as he propped himself up on his elbows, rubbing at his eyes and reaching for his glasses before picking up his phone. He had left Taeyong’s house far later than he’d planned一some time around 10pm一and he had only gotten a few hours of sleep since then. He looked at his phone and saw the name Hyuck in big white letters on the screen, along with a picture of Donghyuck from a few months ago in an ice cream parlor.

“Hello?” Mark answered groggily.

“Mark…” Donghyuck’s voice was shaking as he spoke.

“Baby? Are you okay?” Much more alert now, Mark sat up in his bed.

“I’m s-sorry, I know it’s late. But I can’t stop crying and I just really need you here, please,” Donghyuck sobbed.

“You want me to come to your house?” Mark looked over at his digital clock, which showed him the time 2:14am in big red letters.

“ _Please_ ,” Donghyuck begged in a small voice.

“Okay, okay Duckie. I’ll see you in a little while, alright?” Mark told him.

“Okay,” the younger boy breathed out.

Mark hung up the phone and quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants along with a hoodie. He picked up his gym shoes and tucked them under his arm. He shoved his phone in his pocket and plucked his car keys off his desk.

Mark went down the steps as quietly as he could manage. He prayed that his parents wouldn’t notice that he was gone before he got back. Mark made it to the front door and quietly stepped outside, shutting it behind him as gently as possible. Then he finally put his shoes on, quickly as the ground felt like ice under his sock covered feet.

He ran to his car and got inside, starting it up before he’d even closed the door. Once he pulled out of his driveway, he headed off in the direction of his boyfriend’s house. Mark chewed on his bottom lip, his hands gripping the steering wheel. Donghyuck’s shaky voice echoed in his mind and his heart clenched up tightly in his chest.

The drive to Donghyuck’s house felt all too long, but eventually he saw the large, gated driveway that he had grown familiar with. He pulled up, typed in the code and waited impatiently for the gates to open up before pulling in. Once he was parked, Mark rushed out of the car and straight to the door, locking his car as an afterthought.

He rang the doorbell, knowing that he wouldn’t cause any problems at this hour. Donghyuck’s family had wait staff at their beck and call every hour of every day, including 2:45am. Mark’s legs shook as he waited for someone to come to the door. When it finally opened, he was met with the face of Mrs. Jeong, a maid who had worked in the house since Donghyuck was young.

“Hello, Minhyung. He’s upstairs,” Mrs. Jeong told him.

“Thank you.” Mark bowed politely to her before he walked inside, slipped his shoes off and headed towards the grand staircase.

“Minhyung?” Mrs. Jeong called out to him.

“Yes?” Mark turned back to look at her.

“...be gentle with him,” she told him.

Mark gave her a sad, knowing smile before he turned back and walked up the stairs towards Donghyuck’s bedroom. He walked down the dark hallway and finally found his boyfriend’s room. He came in slowly, opening the door inch by inch, scared of what he would find.

All of the lights were off, but slowly Mark’s eyes adjusted. When the boy finally came into view, he could see that Donghyuck was sitting on his bed wrapped up in a blanket. It made him look even smaller than he usually did and Mark would have cooed at the sight if it weren’t for the fact that his boyfriend was still crying. Donghyuck’s frame shook endlessly as he sobbed into his hands.

“Oh, Duckie,” Mark sighed. He closed the door behind him, finally catching the boy’s attention.

The second Donghyuck’s eyes met Mark’s, the younger flung his blanket off his shoulders and went to hug him. He grasped Mark so tight the older thought he would stop breathing. Mark could feel that Donghyuck was still crying as he held onto him, so he wrapped his arms around the younger boy just as tight and kissed the top of his head. He rubbed soothing circles into his back.

“Are you okay, sunshine?” Mark asked him in a quiet voice.

“No...everything is terrible,” Donghyuck muttered, breathing shakily as he tried to stop crying.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Mark questioned gently.

Donghyuck pulled away to look at Mark properly. Now, with the light from the windows seeping in, Mark could see that Donghyuck’s cheeks were still wet from the tears and his eyes shone in the moonlight like glass orbs, filled only with sadness.

“...my dad isn’t coming home for my birthday,” Donghyuck confessed. Mark felt his heart deflate in his chest, feeling the pain for the younger boy already.

“He promised me. He _promised_. He told me ‘this year will be different’, but then I get a call from his fucking secretary saying that he won’t be back until the end of July because he has to fly to Barbados for a surprise conference,” Donghyuck explained.

“I’m really sorry, Duckie,” Mark told him gently.

“He’s never here, Mark. _Never_. He doesn’t care that he hasn’t spent my birthday with me even once since I turned 11. He doesn’t care that I’m the only person in this big house at the end of the day. He doesn’t even want to come home to his only son,” Donghyuck sobbed.

“I’m going to be alone on my birthday. Again. He’s going to be gone. _Again._ And there’s nothing that I can do about it. Nothing! He stopped caring about me the second he realized I wasn't exactly like him.”

Mark pulled him close, letting Donghyuck rest his head against his chest. The younger boy began to cry again, quieter this time. Mark ran his fingers through the younger’s brown locks and pressed a small kiss to his forehead.

“The worst part is that I can’t even be mad at him. The only person I’m mad at is myself. I must really be shit if he doesn’t even want to see me on my own goddamn birthday,” Donghyuck muttered bitterly.

“Hey,” Mark pulled away again and looked at Donghyuck with a sad gaze. “Don’t talk like that.”

“What, do you want me to lie? We both know I’m not exactly a perfect little angel,” Donghyuck grumbled, still sounding sad.

“Who cares about perfect, huh? I’d rather take this over whatever bullshit you’re thinking of,” the older told him. He wiped away Donghyuck’s tear with his thumbs.

“But一”

“But nothing, Hyuck. You’re the most incredible person I know. You are deserving of all the love in the world, and if your dad can’t see that, then that’s his loss,” Mark told him.

“...thank you,” Donghyuck whispered.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, sunshine. I’m sorry about all of this, I know you miss him,” Mark replied.

“It’s okay…” Donghyuck assured him, looking down at the floor.

“I’m sorry I woke you up and made you drive all the way here because of this.”

“You know I would do anything for you,” Mark told him. He hoped his boyfriend couldn’t see how red his cheeks turned at his own confession.

“Well then could you maybe stay the night?” Donghyuck asked hopefully.

“Yeah, sure baby,” the older agreed.

Donghyuck nodded and pulled Mark towards his bed. The two of them slipped under the sheets and Mark pulled his boyfriend close. Donghyuck snuggled into the crook of his neck and gently kissed the exposed skin, making Mark shiver under his touch.

“I love you, Mark,” Donghyuck whispered.

“I love you too Duckie. I’m here baby,” Mark answered.

Lee Donghyuck could be snippy, he could even be rude. He had an ego that broke every scale and his personality demanded attention. But this boy in Mark’s arms, his Donghyuck, he was none of those things. He was vulnerable, soft, loving. He could be a support system, but there were times when he needed one of his own. He was everything that Mark could ever ask for, even if no one else could see it.

**Author's Note:**

> count how many times i used italics lmao  
> thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed it! please leave kudos and a comment, it's deeply appreciated!  
> follow me on twt @peachyseokseok :)


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